The invention relates to an apparatus for X-ray analysis of a sample, including
an X-ray source for irradiating the sample by means of X-rays,
an X-ray detector for detecting X-rays emanating from the sample,
a parabolic multilayer mirror which is arranged in the beam path between the sample and the detector and has an associated reflection angle range xcex1max, and
a first collimator that is arranged at the area of the focus of the parabolic multilayer mirror.
In apparatus for X-ray analysis, such as apparatus for X-ray fluorescence or for X-ray diffraction, a sample is irradiated by X-rays originating from an X-ray source which is generally a conventional X-ray tube. Sometimes it is important to parallel the radiation incident on the sample as well as possible, that is, to ensure that the various directions of the radiation within the X-ray beam enclose only a small angle relative to one another. The measurements are thus rendered practically unsusceptible to shape deviations of the sample (for example, in the case of X-ray powder diffraction the sample surface facing the incident beam need not be flat to a very high degree), to location-dependency in the X-ray absorption by the sample, and to locational deviations of the sample as a whole. Moreover, the angle of incidence of the X-rays is then suitably defined; this is of importance notably for X-ray diffraction with a high resolution.
From the article xe2x80x9cModern X-ray mirrors for perfect parallel beamsxe2x80x9d published in xe2x80x9cMaterials Worldxe2x80x9d, October 1999, pp. 616-618, it is known to make the X-rays originating from an X-ray source parallel and monochromatic by means of a parabolic multilayer mirror and to irradiate the sample to be analyzed by means of such a parallel monochromatic beam. The radiation originating from the sample is incident on another parabolic multilayer mirror which reflects the radiation in the direction of a collimator slit that is arranged in front of the X-ray detector and also ensures that undesirable wavelengths are removed from the reflected beam. Said collimator slit is provided at the area of the focus of said other parabolic multilayer mirror.
It is an object of the invention to realize a resolution which is better than that obtained by means of the arrangement that is known from the cited article. To this end, the X-ray analysis apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the first collimator is arranged in such a manner that it exhibits substantially the same angular value of the angular passage width from every reflecting point of the multilayer mirror, and that said angular value, viewed from every reflecting point of the multilayer mirror, is smaller than the maximum reflection angle range xcex1max.
The invention is based on the following insight. A multilayer mirror for X-rays has only a limited range of the reflection angle; this range is represented by the reference xcex1max. In practical multilayer mirrors this range may have a value of the order of magnitude of 0.05xc2x0. When the parabolic multilayer mirror has a focal distance F, this means that an incident quasi-parallel beam with an angular spread xcex1max is imaged in the vicinity of the focus of the parabola with a width F*xcex1max. If the passage width of the collimator is greater than this width of the image, such a passage width will have no effect on the resolution of the apparatus.
The passage width, however, does have an effect on the removal of background radiation: the X-rays incident on the first collimator consist of desired radiation emanating from the sample and of undesired radiation. The desired radiation is the radiation emanating from the sample at a desired angle. All other radiation (the background radiation), originating from the sample at an undesired angle as well as from the environment, must be stopped as much as possible by the first collimator.
When the passage width is chosen to be smaller than the width of said image, a part of the radiation present in the image is blocked. This can be done, for example, by means of a customary collimator that is formed by two flat knife edges arranged in one and the same plane. The knife edges are situated at a given distance from one another, thus creating a slit-like passage opening having a given slit width. Radiation that is incident on the multilayer mirror with an angular spread corresponding to said width could thus be blocked so that an angular range can be selected that is even smaller than said xcex1max, thus enhancing the angular resolution of the apparatus.
The latter possibility however, would be limited if every reflecting point of the multilayer mirror were to produce a different magnitude of said image. In that case the resolution will no longer be suitably defined and, moreover, will be determined to an important degree by the point situated furthest from the focus. This is because for such a point the magnitude of the image is proportional to the distance between the relevant reflecting region and the location of the image. Because the first collimator is arranged in such a manner that it has approximately the same angular value for the passage width from any reflecting point of the multilayer mirror, every reflecting point thus makes the same contribution to the resolution of the apparatus.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the angular value for the passage width of the first collimator that is observed from the reflecting mirror surface is adjustable. This embodiment offers not only the advantage that all regions of the entire multilayer mirror offer the same resolution, but also that the properties of the apparatus can be adapted to the measuring circumstances; alternatively, the collimator can be adapted to different multilayer mirrors that can be arranged in the apparatus.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention the first collimator is formed by two mutually parallel knife edges which are situated at different distances from the reflecting points of the multilayer mirror. This embodiment can be simply manufactured and, if desired, can also be readily constructed so as to be adjustable.
In a further embodiment of the invention the knife edges of the collimator are displaceable relative to one another by displacement transversely of the direction of the beam path through the collimator. The passage width of the collimator, and hence the resolution of the apparatus, is thus controlled without introducing deviations in respect of the angular value at which the collimator slit is seen from the various points of the reflecting surface.
A further embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention is provided with a second, adjustable collimator which is arranged in the beam path between the sample and the detector. This step is important notably for situations in which the angle between the beam incident on the sample and the beam emanating from the sample has a small value. In such cases it may readily occur that the cross-section of the beam incident on the sample becomes larger than the sample. The amount of radiation energy emanating from the sample then becomes dependent on the angle of incidence and the shape of the sample; for intensity measurements this leads to a situation that can be corrected only with great difficulty. Correction cannot be suitably performed either by means of the data processing computer programs used in such apparatus. It is known per se to arrange a beam limiting element in the incident beam in order to correct this problem in analytic X-ray apparatus, but the space required for this purpose is not available in many cases. It can be ensured that the detector always xe2x80x9cperceivesxe2x80x9d a defined part of the sample by arranging the collimator in the outgoing beam and by adapting the passage width thereof to the angle of incidence, so that a correction factor thus known is obtained for the data processing computer programs.